Quiet Attentions
by Leli1013
Summary: Four ways Castle and Beckett are a couple and the one way they aren't.


**Disclaimer: **They're not mine.

One

When Castle had told her that his mother had run into her father outside of Macy's and had invited them both over for dinner that Sunday, Kate had found herself feeling unexpectedly nervous. Looking back on it as she helps Castle set the dinner table she realizes how completely unfounded her anxiety really was.

She knows this is not the first time their families have met – they all attended Montgomery's funeral and had shared a few bad meals at the hospital after her shooting. She knows that her father is fond of Castle because he had told her so and admitted to asking him to convince her to drop her mother's case.

"He cares about you, Katie, and he wants to make you happy," he had said. "I like him."

Jim never tells her that what had won him over was the fact Rick Castle regularly places flowers on Johanna's grave.

Kate doesn't feel she needs her father's approval for anything, especially when it concerns the men in her life, but the fact he and Castle get along so well makes her feel glad.

Dinner itself is an enjoyable affair. The food is good and the conversation is lively and easy. Jim listens intently to whatever Alexis says, genuinely laughs at Martha's stories at just the right moments, calls Rick "son", and doesn't comment on how Kate acts like a proper hostess in her partner's home. Kate doesn't notice that all traces of alcohol have seemingly disappeared from the loft until well into dessert and feels as if she could give Rick another kiss. She doesn't, but lets him kiss her temple when he forbids her from doing any dishes and kicks her out of the kitchen.

She walks into the living room, fighting the blush she feels creeping onto her cheeks, and finds Jim sitting on the couch between Martha and Alexis with Alexis's laptop resting on the coffee table in front of them.

"We're showing your Dad the photos from last week's awards banquet," Alexis explains.

_Heat Rises_ had been honored with an award and Rick had convinced her to accompany him to the banquet, something that, to her dismay, turned out to be a black-tie affair.

She remembers how, when she arrived at the loft, Martha had immediately placed a rather ornate necklace around her neck.

"Really, Martha, I shouldn't," Kate had said with a sense of déjà vu.

"Nonsense, darling, you're family."

Looking at the scene before her now, Kate recognizes that Rick Castle's family extends to her own and vice versa and the idea settles within her comfortably.

Two

Castle screws up. He doesn't stay in the car like he was told and gets in Esposito's way as their suspect manages to make it pass them through the narrow alleyway. Luckily, a taxicab comes out of nowhere and blocks him before he can get out onto the street and disappear.

Beckett doesn't let him sit in on the interrogation and is still annoyed with him even after they get their confession. Afterwards, he sits in his chair by her desk and wracks his brain, trying to figure out a way to makes things better because she won't smile at him or even look him in the eye and, worse, she doesn't even drink the coffee he brings her.

He stays until he catches Gates glaring at him from her office, no doubt having heard what had happened, and he decides to leave while he is still in one piece.

The next morning he gets up extra early to buy Beckett's coffee and pastries for the entire department. The others smile and hum in appreciation while Beckett only takes her coffee with a short "Thanks" before returning to her mountain of paperwork. Given her response, he spends the day sitting at her side waiting for a body to drop and contemplating a way to get back into her good graces. He knows, he just _knows_, that the way to get her to look at him again in through her coffee. He knows because it's a part of their language, the one they made up over early mornings, late nights, and murder – coffee, apples, and always.

He tries again that afternoon. He buys Beckett her favorite sandwich from the deli a few blocks over and another cup of coffee from that coffee shop she loves so much.

When he walks back into the bullpen he catches Ryan pleading to Beckett on his behalf.

"Come on, Beckett, watching him mope around you is starting to get kind of pathetic. Is he going to have to give you coffee for the rest of your life before you let it go?"

"I thought he already was," she says as she takes her lunch with a tiny smile and he fights the urge to do a little victory dance.

Three

Paula sends him on a two week long book tour across the east coast with Alex Conrad, something Castle had forgotten he had agreed to during the summer when he was hurting and in search of a distraction. Now that Beckett is back and slowly opening up, the book tour is more of an irritation than anything else.

When he tells Beckett Castle can hear the disappointment in her voice and this simple fact catches him by surprise and makes him want to cancel his trip more than before. He promises both Beckett and Alexis to call every night and to not have too much fun while he is gone. Neither expects him to keep his last promise, but both are surprised when he does.

While away Castle feels the same boredom he had felt when he killed off Derek Storm creeping up on him all over again, so he counts the days and hours before he can see his girls again and finds that the highlight of his entire day is when he gets back to his hotel room to call home. He hears whatever gossip Martha may have picked up, listens to Alexis as she tells him about what colleges she may or may not apply to and has Beckett keep him informed on whatever case she may be working on. In turn, he tells them about whatever cheesy tourist trap he has come across and how Paula is driving him nuts, dragging him to clubs and parties.

"And here I thought you'd be thrilled to get away; be fawned over, sign ladies' chests," Beckett says the first Thursday night.

"Well, when you're used to spending your days chasing criminal lowlifes and solving murders everything else seems kind of mediocre. That and I might just miss my ball and chain," he admits and he swears he can hear her smile. "I'm going to be in Miami on Saturday, why don't you come down and join me? You can hang out poolside and work on that tan."

"You just want to see in me in another bikini."

He grins at the image sprouting in his mind.

"Castle, as much as I'd like to, I can't. I'm supposed to be on call and we both know Gates won't let me go."

His breath hitches just a little at the unmasked longing he hears in her voice and silently curses the universe.

The second week creeps by, the best day being Wednesday when he calls the loft and Beckett answers.

"Alexis invited me over for dinner and a movie night," she explains and he is thrilled.

After he talks with Martha and Alexis Castle tells her about the swimsuit fashion show Paula is forcing him to attend and promises to pick out a piece for her.

Beckett is sure he can hear her roll her eyes.

Monday morning she finds herself reading about Miami and the fashion show on _Page Six_ while waiting for her coffee at Starbucks. She comes to learn that playboy novelist Richard Castle had been approached by a Victoria's Secret supermodel at the show's after party, turned her down and then had left the event just after midnight. The article supposes he has changed his ways because he hadn't gone to nearly as many parties during his book tour as he used to and because he has been refusing to sign fans' breasts since the summer.

Beckett reads the article with her heart pounding in her ears and the tiniest of smiles on her face. Once she is seated at her desk and catches sight of the still empty chair beside her, she prays that a body doesn't drop because smiling at a crime scene would be grossly unprofessional.

When Castle walks through his door that night he is immediately tackled by Alexis and momentarily struggles to hold onto both his bags and his daughter before dropping his luggage altogether. The familiarity of Alexis's head on his shoulders and his mother's cheek against his envelopes him, grounds him; but it isn't until he catches sight of Beckett standing by the couch that he feels like he has finally come home.

Four

One day Gates decides to temporarily split them up. She sends Beckett to chase down a lead with Esposito while Castle stays behind to go through financial records with Ryan. By three the lead turns into a dead end and the financials turn up empty so they decide to meet up at Remy's for a late lunch and a chance to clear their heads.

Castle and Ryan get to the restaurant first. Castle immediately seats them in a booth in the back and orders for both Beckett and himself while Ryan only orders for himself. Beckett and Esposito arrive just as their food does. She explains that traffic was worse than usual while he asks why there are only three meals on the table.

"Well, I don't know what you like from here," Ryan says around his tuna melt.

Both stop bickering when they catch sight of the scene unfolding before them.

As Beckett shrugs off her coat Castle wordlessly squirts ketchup onto her hamburger bun and then slides his pickles onto her plate while she steals one of his fries and dips it in their shared milkshake.

Ryan watches the exchange in amusement while Esposito bites back a laugh and asks, "So, how often do you two come here again?"

One

The morning after the bank robbery, before Alexis is even up, he tells his mother he wants to his will.

"I want Beckett to get half," he says. "And if something happens to the both of us, she gets Alexis too."

Martha agrees immediately, remembering the conversation she overheard between Kate and her granddaughter the night before; how Alexis had apologized for her anger over the robbery and the shooting and her father's devotion. Kate had readily accepted her apologies and promised to do her best to bring Richard home every night. She remembers the fierce hug they had shared before Kate left and Alexis briefly mentioning the intent to look up pre-law programs at colleges other than Stanford.

Martha knows that Kate Beckett would stay in their lives even if something were to happen to her son and had long ago decided to leave a few choice possessions to the detective in the event of her death. She understands what Richard is doing is a formality that is long overdue.

That afternoon, when Rick meets his attorney, Craig, he is asked if he is sure about his decision at least half a dozen times. He says "yes" with such sincerity and conviction that it almost startles his old friend.

"Wow, you must really care for her. How long have you two been together?"

"We're not together. Not yet, anyways."


End file.
